Circumnavigating the Big Island of Hawai`i

August 1- 11, 2004

We’d been talking about going to Hawaii for many years. We finally made it thanks in part to having frequent flier miles and good friends with a condo in Kona/Kailua (thanks John & Mary Anne). After a year of planning with input from ETC members Gary & Rita who often lead rides there and a trip guide from Kona Coast Cycling Tours we finally made it. This was our first self-supported tour. Even without camping, it was a new and challenging experience to ride loaded down with our necessities.

To say this tour was awesome is an understatement. Our journal will provide you with many of the details of the 281.4 miles we rode, including daily elevation profiles (totaling 22,539’) for the cycling geeks. The things it cannot convey are some of the most memorable: the intense sweet fragrances, being under the expansive canopy of stars, the denseness of the humidity, the blessings of not getting caught in the rain despite nightly monsoons, the exhilaration of flying full tilt down the mountains, the serendipity of going to the lava flow after letting go of that possibility, the awe of watching planet earth being born, the breathtaking interplay of rocks and ocean.